Hello dear readers! Yes, I had an unexpected break last week. It was a 6 Kame/Death day, Sept. 8, 2014, and there was a very big solar flare and Full Moon trine Mars and Saturn.

My computer was just one of many things that got fried and died last week. This is all good as we learn to appreciate letting go of things that no longer serve us and prepare for our new lives we are co-creating with the universe.

Last Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2014, Obama also tried to announce another ‘war’ we are supposed to start against the ISIS group of terrorists WE armed, ostensibly to fight Bashar Assad’s army in Syria.

Fortunately, his announcement came during a time that Venus is descending from its position as the Morning Star — what the ancient Maya described as diving into the Sun — and she will be behind the Sun on Oct. 25, 2014, (Muharram, Islamic New Year).

So even though the announcement came on a strong Venus energy day, 8 Qanil/Rabbit, that energy will not be sustainable. In contrast, Venus was very prominent as the Morning Star on Sept. 11, 2001.

According to an article by John Major Jenkins written in 1995, a new 104-year Venus cycle began on April 3, 2001, which was 1 Ahau/Sun. Venus rose as the morning star that day and remained so through Sept. 11, 2001, when she was still very prominent in the morning sky.

I held a 1 Ahau/Sun “Xochiquetzal” fire ceremony March 22, 2011, in San Marcos, Texas. Because of the importance of this day in the Venus cycle, I believe the name of one of the hero twins of the Popol Vuh myth cycle, Hunajpu, translates as “1 Ahau.” Venus is being born from the head of the Sun! Now I understand why 1 Ahau is known to the Aztecs as Xochiquetzal’s (Flower maiden’s) day.

Today’s Oracle takes us to the Taurus weekly for Nov. 13, 2009

It’s time to do that Taurus thing again and get out of your head. One of the odd miracles of your sign is that yours is simultaneously the most physical of the 12 and also the one most likely to get trapped upstairs. You have options at the moment, and your mind will come in handy as far as determining what is healthy and what is not; what you actually want and what you don’t. Notice when you’re getting mixed up in a process of rationalizing. If you’re having conversations with people who are not there, call them and work it out in real life. This will give you permission to explore the exceptionally interesting opportunities in your environment. Stick to who or what you actually want and you will be perfectly safe.

This is an ancient horoscope and by some miracle it is still relevant today. Experience the astrology as it happens, written by me weekly and twice monthly, plus your Moonshine horoscope by Len and Elizabeth. Here is how to sign up — and what you get.

If Mercury and Venus are any indication, your head and heart will encounter some of the same issues on separate paths tomorrow. Mercury appears to be slowing down in Libra on its way to pass between Earth and the Sun. Venus appears to be speeding up in Virgo on its way to the Sun’s far side.

Mercury, among other things, correlates with your head — specifically how you think. Venus, among other things, corresponds to your heart — specifically how you feel.

Mercury appears to be decelerating on approach to station retrograde for the third time this year on Oct. 4, at 2+ Scorpio. Venus appears to be accelerating at it approaches the halfway point between its much less frequent retrograde periods.

Mercury entered the echo (or “shadow”) phase of its next retrograde two days ago as it moved past 16+ Libra, where it will resume direct motion again on Oct. 25. Venus is now entering the dawn’s glare to temporarily disappear from view before resuming visibility in the western sky after sundown later this year.

One would be hard-pressed to find two planets on more different paths than Mercury and Venus are now. The same may very well be true of what you are thinking and how you are feeling.

Yet, in both astrology and in your life, separate paths sometimes lead to something of the same circumstances — at least for a short while. In astrology’s case, at least, such will be the state of affairs for Mercury and Venus tomorrow.

Today’s Oracle takes us to the Leo monthly for June 1, 2006

The last time this happened, it was a lot less obvious. Now you see the pattern. Now you cannot only take it a lot more personally, you can involve yourself in a personal way and work the situation to your best possible advantage. The message or reward of this month’s Mars-Saturn conjunction in your birth sign is some combination of discipline paying off, patience providing the perfect opportunity to act, and hard work being rewarded with something changing in your favor. In fact, anything you experience this month you can work in your favor, but now it’s even more important that you see it that way. When you make the one major decision that seems to be looming, you’ll probably notice how long you’ve gone not quite feeling like yourself, and have the revelation of what it feels like to be suddenly acting in accord with your own nature, after quite a long delay. Not a bad plan.

This is an ancient horoscope and by some miracle it is still relevant today. Experience the astrology as it happens, written by me weekly and twice monthly, plus your Moonshine horoscope by Len and Elizabeth. Here is how to sign up — and what you get.

There exists a taboo on going for what you really want. Because we live in a society that’s all about ‘freedom of choice’ it’s not easy to see this, especially to someone who gets lost in the choice between Arby’s and Wendy’s, or between Cialis and Viagra.

There is a rumor that desire gets a person into trouble. This one has been viral in religious and spiritual philosophies going back millennia — whether it’s the Christians’ ban on sexual desire or the reportedly Buddhist idea that desire only forms attachments and therefore leads to misery.

And it soaks into Western culture in the form of, ‘Don’t want what you really want; be a good boy/girl and want the shitty substitute we’re trying to sell you’. There is the notion that curiosity killed the cat. There is the ruse of not allowing oneself to want because if you want you might be tempted.

In astrology Mars is the planet of drive and desire, and it’s now in the sign of single-pointed focus — Sagittarius. As described Monday, Mars is going to be on quite an adventure, making 18 conjunctions and many other aspects during the next six or seven weeks. Each one of those aspects represents a twist on desire. Each comes with a different flavor, approach and result.

Some of these experiences could be used to demonstrate that desire is a bad thing. Yet in every situation there is another factor involved — that is how an aspect pattern works. In every situation, something will be influencing or modifying the nature of Mars, even as Mars wants to fly straight through the air to its destination.

The first of these influences is Heracles (what you might think of as wanting too much, or at the expense of all else), and the next is Tantalus (wanting what you cannot have, or think you cannot have — a dynamic where what you want eludes you, and desire gets the blame).

Then there is the extended square to Neptune, which is exact on Sept. 21; however, the orb of Neptune is so wide, it’s usually taken effect before anyone knows it’s an influence. Under the current influence of Neptune, I suggest you stick to what you’ve wanted for a while and not let any factor dissuade you from thinking that your desire is not valid. With Neptune you must remember how to swim rather than acting like you’re standing on solid ground.

I will offer again that in our society it’s OK to want, but there is a taboo on wanting what you really want — which is why there are so many distractions, and why they are so popular.

Today’s Oracle takes us to the Sagittarius weekly for Nov. 2, 2012

Events over the next week or two will give you the opportunity to experience the world from the viewpoint of someone else, which is rare indeed, particularly for you. Too often you assume you know what others are thinking or feeling, when your perspective could easily be motivated by convenience. What you observe will have the power to change your mind, which you’re capable of doing, though at the same time you may be clinging to a certain position or opinion as if your life depended upon it. Actually, your happiness depends on seeing that there are alternatives. One thing you’re good at doing is having a sense that you live in the wide world — though this will either inspire you to feel extremely powerful or deeply insignificant. I won’t even say that the truth is somewhere in between; neither of these are useful points of view. People close to you have feelings, and some have deep feelings — a fact that can sometimes make you pretty nervous. Embrace this truth, and you will find yourself experiencing less alienation and more harmony.

This is an ancient horoscope and by some miracle it is still relevant today. Experience the astrology as it happens, written by me weekly and twice monthly, plus your Moonshine horoscope by Len and Elizabeth. Here is how to sign up — and what you get.

Mars entered Sagittarius Saturday, where it will be until Oct. 26. This is the second sign change of Mars since the retrograde ended back in May. There is plenty happening in Sagittarius right now, and Mars is about to experience many meetings with many other planets, most of them discovered in recent years.

Objects in Sagittarius.

To the left is a list of objects in Sagittarius at the time of this writing. Mars is the fastest one of the lot, so over the next six weeks or so, it will make conjunctions to each and every one of these points. This does not even include other aspects Mars will make, such as a square to Neptune on Sept. 21 or a square to Chiron on Oct. 4.

Speaking of Mars square Neptune, that is the aspect to watch, while it’s developing and even after it’s passed. Mars in a fire sign can ignite Neptune like a volatile gas, or it can have its power sapped by Neptune. Mars in Sagittarius is moving with some determination, so the key will be to remain on course and put honesty with yourself above all else.

Mars square Neptune can be deceptive in a self-destructive way. People who possess this aspect in their natal charts need to keep an eye on that quality, and take both Mars and Neptune to the level of real integrity. In the mix is a hero complex emerging (Mars conjunct Heracles, obscured in the fog of Neptune, which could be alcohol) and the tease of fantasy (Mars conjunct Tantalus square Neptune — torture yourself with unattainable desire only if it’s truly pleasant, or of it helps motivate you in some way).

All of these meetings will come with a different flavor, and there are about to be many, as you can see. We don’t need to get too far ahead of ourselves, though Mars begins to encounter slower and more potent planets and points as it moves along — with a culmination when it reaches the Great Attractor, a deep space point, on Oct. 4 (at the same time Mars squares Chiron).

If Mars square Neptune would benefit from a little more integrity, Mars square Chiron would benefit from relaxing a little and not worrying so much about integrity. Mars square Chiron wants to be so perfect that neither Mars nor Chiron can function optimally, Mars as an agent of desire and Chiron as an agent of awareness.

So as you go through these adventures, remember that perfection is not a value. If you have any regrets, reach out and make amends. If someone is not interested, that is their choice. If you have been less than honest, reach out and be truthful. If you have transgressed boundaries, consider how that happened.

The deeper theme of this whole journey seems to be making contact with past injury so that you can heal it. Particularly in late Sagittarius, Mars will encounter several of the more profound points in this alignment (Ixion, Pholus, Hylonome, Quaoar and a few others) and this is a good time to remember that ‘spiritual’ translates to being aware, forgiving and in alignment with your purpose.

In general, my dreams and I are fighting these days. I’ve had more nightmares in the past few weeks than I’ve probably had in my entire life combined. They’re not really the kinds that lead to me waking up screaming or anything, but they have been disturbing and chaotic.

Photo by Eric Francis.

It’s probably not helpful at all that I’ve been reading about “evil” and “psychic self defense” before bed, but I digress.

A few weeks ago I gave you a glimpse into my New Moon ritual process. As I sit here reflecting on my intention — When I make time to still my mind, to listen and perceive, I act on the inspiration that comes with dedication and ease — I’m laughing at the “still my mind” part.

My mind has been anything but still. But I’m realizing that I have been making the effort to listen and perceive. And my dreams have been the direct means of getting inspiration for writing and living and loving.

The fact of the matter is that I’ve been picking up little communications from dreams and then acting on them. I do, however, find dream work to be somewhat exhausting and tedious sometimes. It requires time and effort. And although the pay off can be huge — seeing as dream work provides a means for getting to know the images of our own unconscious minds — I tend to be inconsistent in my efforts.

So what is dream work, anyway? To my mind, dream work is yet another tool for healing and understanding because it connects us to the language of the psyche. I see it as different from dream interpretation. Dream interpretation, for me, is more about “what does the dream Mean,” whereas dream work is more alive and fluid. It’s about unpacking images and emotions. Dream work includes interpretation to a degree, but moves beyond it to see the dream as a constantly changing dynamic.

The gist of dream work is that dreams are alive, that they are multidimensional and multi-layered, and that they are communicating with us through images that are full of meaning. The images that appear in a dream are specific to the particular dream. Therefore there can be no universal meaning for “water,” because the context of the water (is it still? clear? warm? salty? menacing?) describes the image further.

A threshold has been crossed permanently and honoured as such. Now you have an opportunity to focus on the new experience that you have crossed into, which may feel so different as to be at first unrecognisable.

Four of Wands, Nine of Cups, The Star from the Röhrig Tarot deck, created by Carl-W. Röhrig. Click on the image for a larger version.

Like all the Fours, the Four of Wands stands as a marker on a particular part of your journey. The Fours are pauses. Last week, there was the Four of Swords, which refers to time out that is prescribed, with the admonition that if it’s not taken now, it might be enforced more strongly later. Here, the Four of Wands is also a pause before another threshold — a stepping into an agreement that has a sense of finality to it.

Often, the Four of Wands will indicate marriage or some kind of commitment ceremony. Here is the agreement; from here, life moves forward, but somehow differently. If there is no marriage, it is the acknowledgement that one phase has passed, and you are contemplating the next step into a new paradigm. The position in this week’s reading refers to what has just happened, and which has a strong bearing on the present: the Nine of Cups.

I love the Nine of Cups, and yet it also has the tendency to frustrate me a little: it is light and wondrous, and whimsical. How, then, to put that whimsy to practical use in a world that can often be anything but light and wondrous? Perhaps it is to take to heart (Cups being associated with our emotions) that you are operating in an environment that you have come to view in a particular way — stolid, intractable, heavy — yet maybe it is you who has become somewhat stolid, intractable and heavy in a world that is waiting for you to lighten up a little. Or to lighten up a lot!